Pat Barry Really Needed That UFC 104 Bonus Money

It’s nice to see the prelim fighters win the UFC pay-per-view bonus money. They need it a lot more than many of the guys on the main card who are making well into the five, six and seven-figures per fight.

That’s why it was awesome to see Pat Barry — who would have only made $14,000 for his impressive striking display in the second round against Antoni Hardonk — take home an additional $120,000 for winning Knockout and Fight of the Night honors. What makes it even sweeter though is how much he needed it.

Hey man, I showed up to this fight broke. When we got to Los Angeles on Tuesday, I had ZERO dollars to my LIFE. I’m not even joking around. I had nothing sitting in the bank, nothing under the mattress at home, not even a piggy bank; nothing at all. Two days before we got to LA, I was literally eating white rice and ketchup. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want anybody to worry or figure I was taking this fight for the money because I really wanted to fight. Financially I had nothing. I had no choice but to win.

A loss in a lackluster fight would have netted him $7,000. Instead, he took home $134,000 (minus tax, tag and title). What a difference an exciting fight and sweet finish can make for an empty bank account.